Monday, February 25, 2019

Stream It From The Mountain: Better Oblivion Community Center – S/T

Better Oblivion Community Center is the surprise
collaborative project from Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, that was born from
Conor’s contribution to Bridger’s song, “Would You Rather from her debut album,
Stranger In The Alps.The duo’s self-titled debut album was
surprise released digitally in late January and got a physical release via Dead
Oceans last week.Produced by Oberst,
Bridgers and Andy LeMaster, the album features contributions from Carla Azar,
Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wylie Geber and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes,
along with Christian Lee Hutson and Anna Butterss.

The ten-song album is the perfect blend of their distinct
voices and folk-rock sounds.Clearly
Bridgers’ quiet and vulnerable form of folk was inspired by Bright Eyes and in
turn, Oberst has found inspiration in his protégé.The opening salvo, “Didn’t Know What I Was In
For” with its melancholic acoustic strumming, yearning e-bow melody and dual
vocals is the perfect introduction.Later, “Exception To The Rule” stands out with electronic instrumentation
that recalls Bright Eyes’ album, Digital
Ash In A Digital Urn.Other
standouts include the jangly, propulsive single, “Dylan Thomas”, the
slow-burning “Forest Lawn” and the lively “Sleepwalkin” with its conversation-like
vocal trade-offs.

Together Oberst and Bridgers have created an album
of the year-worthy debut with their self-titled release as Better Oblivion
Community Center.